Disturbed
by drimh
Summary: Nothing is as it seems.
1. Client

"Mai, tea."

The high school aged teen sighed. Just like any other day. She wondered faintly why she expected anything different. A thank you would be nice, but she was finally beginning to realize that she probably wouldn't be getting one any time soon, if at all.

With a morbid sigh she put the kettle on and leaned against the counter. With all of this waiting for water to boil for tea most of the day, Mai had plenty of time to relax and think. Mostly at first she thought about how her boss was an insensitive and inconsiderate jerk. Then after that her mind tended to wander. It seems like no time at all had passed when the kettle began shriek. She quickly took it off the flame and the drink makes its into a fancy, probably very expensive tea cup of Naru's and then to his desk. She doesn't wait around like she normally would (She'd just be kicked out and put down by Naru like countless times before) and instead she just went back to filing more paperwork (Just how much paperwork needs filing anyway? Is there an actual end?).

It wasn't all that long before the three o'clock client arrived.

She was an older woman probably in her mid fifties. She looked rather tired and frail, and with a possible haunting Mai couldn't blame her.

"You must be Miss Tachibana right? Please, right this way." She gently corraled the woman to the couch before entering Naru's office. "The client is here," she informed him, and visited Lin's office to do the same. Afterwards she made her way into the kitchen to fix the client some tea of her own. When she returned, Naru was seating himself on the couch opposite of the client, and Mai gave her the tea before standing next to her boss.

"Well to begin, I'm Naoko Tachibana," she said shakily, gripping her tea cup. "I live on a small island in Okinawa with the rest of my extensive family. Recently, the house has been shaking a lot. At first we thought it was just earthquakes, but confirmation from my sister's hosue nearby told us that it was just our house that was affected." She cleared her throat. "My youngest grandson Kazuhiko was found recently with scratch marks covering his entire body, among other things that have happened." The woman takes a long sip of her tea. "But the most unnerving, would be the possesions." There is a long silence that ensues.

"Please elaborate," Naru says, looking mildly interested.

"Three members of our family are believed to be possesed. The first was Kazuhiko; he was rampaging around, acting wild. We figured it was one of 'those' days; he is a young child after all, and a boy at that. But it dragged on for days, and days, to the point where he wouldn't speak any more. We tried searching for a medical condition that could cause it, but we came up short. Shortly after our search, he stopped altogether. We asked him why he'd done it, but he truly couldn't remember a thing about the entire ten days it'd happened.

"The next one was Tsukiko, my youngest daughter. Her rampaging lasted ten days as well, and again, she could not remember a thing. Then came my youngest sibling, Chie. The exact thing happened with her. There seems to be a pattern, beginning at the beginning of each month. I'm afraid that my mother, who lives with us, will be next, since she's the youngest of two, and she's become quite frail in the past few years. I'm terrified that something will happen to her."

"That's terrible!" Mai whispered with dread, bringing a hand to her mouth. Naru's head bowed slightly. Mai knew the signs.

"Okinawa is a far distance from here," he says, and for a moment she thinks that she's mistaken. But her hopes fly up again when he continues. "But your case seems interesting in the least. I'll need three rooms; one to set up in, two to sleep. Expect us there tomorrow."

The woman, whose face brightened up instantly, stood up and bowed. "I am so grateful," she said. "Thank you."

"My assistant will show you to the door." Mai smiled brightly.

"Yes, boss!" Leading the woman to the door, she opened it for the old woman, waving as she stepped outside.

It was August fifteenth. They had two weeks to figure this thing out.

* * *

As the high schooler packed her clothes that night, she faintly wondered what this case would be like. It would be like a vacation; being on a remote island. It was summer, so it would be fairly hot, especially way down south, and there would be ghosts around obviously. Mai actually, at this point, had begun expecting some spiritual attack each case.

_I just hope we can help that family so nothing goes wrong,_ she thinks as she climbs into bed.

* * *

_Hello lovlies~_

_Please R&R. I'm working fairly hard on this story and I would very appreciate feedback, good or bad. ^-^ I am especially bad at writing long chapters, but if I can then I most certainly will! :D_

_Ghost Hunt isn't mine(dur da dur)_


	2. Travel

**Day 1**

Monk and Masako would be accompanying them. Ayako would be arriving the next day, and John was doing some things, and would only be coming if the situation required him to take the two hour flight to southern Japan. The thought of being cramped in a plane, with a seat next to Masako no less, made Mai somewhat irritated, which only earned her a well-disguised insult from Naru.

After she sat down, adjusted her carry on bag, and strapped her seat belt, Mai pulled out the flight manual and began studying it like crazy. Anything to keep her mind off of the raven haired girl next to her who was flirting with Naru across the aisle and-_Stop putting your hand on his shoulder you-_

"I'm sorry miss, but could you please remove your arm?" came the curt voice of the flight attendant and it took everything Mai had not to let out a thankful sigh. Masako did so, but carefully replaced her hand after the flight attendant had passed.

"Miss Hara, I know I'm difficult to resist, but please remove your hands from me and keep them away." She smirked. _Leave it to Naru to make any situation completely about him._

"_Naru_," she drawled, not doing as he'd asked. "I just want to make sure you're alright. You're looking a bit pale this morning."

"I didn't sleep much," he admitted carefully. "So I thought I'd get some sleep on the plane, which would be nearly _impossible_ with you _touching_ me." Even Lin, next to Naru couldn't help but smirk. Monk whistled from the seat behind them.

"Keep your lover's spats on the ground, would you?" he laughed, seeing (or rather hearing) Mai's reaction, which was a loud growl.

"Would you mind if Mai sat back there with you, Takigawa?" Masako asked, placing a sleeve to her mouth. "It's quite inconvenient for me to sit next to this _animal_."

Mai immediately stopped growling, hastily fumbled with her seatbelt to get it unbuckled, roughly grabbed her carry on and pushed past the last people to get on the plane, plopping down next to Monk in the empty aisle seat. _At least I have a nice partial view of Naru this way_, she thought happily, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Monk's elbow nudged her ribs. She turned to him quickly, only to find a big, knowing grin on his face. Feeling the heat rush to her face, she put her seatbelt in place and stared down at her hands folded in her lap. She remained this way until the plane had taken off, and she was sure Monk was staring out the window, not paying attention to her.

Once she was sure of this, her eyes locked on the raven-haired boy again.

* * *

Most everyone had departed from the plane when the five of them got up to leave. The first thing Mai had done was stretch her aching limbs. Naru, who had recently been shaken awake by Lin, exited the plane first. They rented a van, which they loaded all of the equiptment into, and drove off to the docks.

Naoko was waiting for them there. After they got everything onto the yacht, they crowded around the plastic-covered equipment and set off for the island.

The ocean spray dampened the team quickly. No one spoke on the journey; perhaps it was the anticipation of this case, but to Mai the silence was stifling.

Naoko's voice cut through it like a knife.

"The island itself isn't very big, nor is it _exceedingly_ far from the mainland, but it's still a pretty good distance." Mai struggled to hear the yelling woman over the motor, which she was the closest to. "The only people living on the island are my family. The last owners of the land, I believe, were a very rich couple who owned a technology business or something. I heard they went missing, but that's about all I know." Her voice cracked near the end of the sentence, and she cleared her throat.

"It must be nice being with your family members all the time," Masako yelled over the roaring noises around them. Her normally quiet voice sounded strange when amplified. The sleeves of her light blue kimono flapped in the wind.

Mai, for a second, swore she saw a smile so wide it would be considered a grimace on the woman's face, but she blinked and it was gone. She rubbed her eyes, thinking, _Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night..._

"It is quite nice," Naoko replied quickly. "Miss Hara, you're a fairly famous medium, correct? You must not see your family a lot."

"Well, I-"

Masako was cut off by a loud exclamation of "Oh my god!" by Monk. The others turned their heads in the same direction to find the island coming into view. On one side was a cliff, which sloped down to a thick forest. At the highest point of the hill were several buildings. Mai gasped.

"It looks beautiful!" she complimented, one hand gripping the wet seat she refused to sit on, the other shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Remember Mai, we're not here on vacation," Naru said flatly, and Mai couldn't help but glare. _Too bad!_ she thought, trying to restrain from crossing her arms. _It's a beautiful island, and I'm going to enjoy being here even if it is for work!_

Huffing, she ended her tyrade by sticking her tongue out at her boss while he wasn't looking.

* * *

To get to the houses, they were led up a long pathway, with no steps. This was a hinderance, but at least the hill wasn't too steep. Everyone carried equipment, including Naoko, and she assured that she'd bring a couple of the men down to help.

"We'd very much appreciate that," Naru had told her. "Just make sure they're very careful."

Naoko nodded without turning around. Sand was clinging to the bottom of Mai's wet shoes, and she made a mental note to wash them later.

When they reached the top of the hill, Mai's head was completely back, staring up at the three-floor house before them. It was very Western influenced, completely brick with brown roofing and lighter tinted shutters. It looked very well kept. A woman exited the building, a small smile on her face.

"Ah, here's Tsukiko, my youngest daughter." The woman bowed.

"Nice to meet you." Her short blond hair blew into her face as the wind picked up, but it quickly settled back down. "It's been very windy lately..."

"Well, I'll go get Noboru and Kenta," Naoko said cheerily before disappearing into the house.

A small moment of silence passed before Tsukiko asked, drearily, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"If you'd show us the room we'll be setting up base in, we'd very much appreciate it," Naru spoke up quickly. The young woman nodded, turning and disappearing into the house. Everyone followed suit. They were led to the second floor.

"This building, when it was built, was meant to be a hotel of sorts, so there are plenty of rooms," Tsukiko told them flatly, bringing them to a room near the end of the hall. "You can stay in the rwo rooms on either side of the end of the hall," she informed them before leaving. Mai began setting up shelves, while Lin sat his bag down and pulled out his laptop, sitting it on one of the tables before going with Naru to corral the family members. Monk went to go carry more things, leaving Mai alone with the medium.

"Do you... know how to set up the shelves?" the brunette asked, turning to find the other girl standing idly.

Putting a sleeve to her mouth, Masako replied, "The reason I'm here is not for _grunt work_. I have more important things to do." Turning and leaving the room, Mai sighed. _How Masako-like_.

* * *

_Okay. So I legitimately couldn't wait a week to put the next chapter up, since I finished it really really really early. I honestly didn't expect to get two reviews after one chapter... xD_

_I'm not going to bother describing the entire family, so I made a sort of family tree that might be of help in the future. I hope it's easy to understand. Remove spaces. ^^_

_http : / i1254. photobucket. com/ albums/ hh603/cutiebearr1 /ghfamilytree-1 . png_


	3. Tired

After Mai set up the last camera, she stood up and put a hand to her mouth, yawning loudly. "Geez, stupid jet lag...," she muttered, stretching. Once she heard her back pop, she spun on her heel and exited the room. Another yawn was making its way to her mouth already, but she didn't bother putting her hand up. Turning right, she stumbled slowly down the hallway, eyes half closed. She turned left, and continued on down another hallway. Looking around, she shook her head. "I was sure the stairs were this way..." Continuing, she found herself bumping into a wall. Looking left and right she realized it was a dead end. _Why, oh why did I not carry a flashlight?_ she thought, clenching her hands into fists. _Okay Mai. Focus._ Turning around, she went down the other hallway.

She stumbled several times, but she finally came to a heavy metal door that she remembered led outside. _Okay. I can go around the house and get back in through the front. Surely I'll remember how to get back from there._ Pushing the door open, she looked over the ocean, quarter-moon reflected in the waves. _It's so pretty..._ Slowly making her way towards the front of the house, she pushed past an opening in the hedges, and found herself right by the front door. Shivering as the wind picked up, Mai tripped her way up the brick steps and laid her hand on the knob.

She turned it.

It stuck.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she mumbled, shaking the knob as if that would get it open. She banged on the door, too tired to yell. There was barely any sound from her efforts, but she hoped that someone would be conveniently passing by, or that one of the microphones picked up her footsteps and that someone would be looking for her.

The wind was cold.

Mai was tired.

She slumped down, shivering as she pulled her knees close to her chest. _How stupid of me,_ she thought before closing her eyes.

* * *

_It was dark._

_Mai looked around, knowing he had to be nearby. She finally spotted him, about ten feet away._

_"Naru!" she exclaimed, running to him. "So what's going to be in my dream this time?" she asked, smiling._

_"I'm not here to help you obtain information this time," he told her. "But I want to advise you be extra cautious here."_

_Mai tilted her head, confused. The raven-haired boy before her began dissipating, and his words once more rang in her mind._

_Be careful._

* * *

She awoke to someone shaking her. Mai jumped, eyes snapping open. Mizuki, Naoko's oldest daughter, crouched before her. Ginko, the family dog, licked her ankle fervently. Seeing she was awake, Mizuki removed her coat, draping it around the brunette's shoulders. "I was worried for a second there," she said a little breathlessly. "What are you doing out here?"

"I-um," Mai realized at that moment just how cold her was, and pulled Mizuki's coat tighter around her. "was setting up cameras, and I got lost, and I went out back to-to see if I could come inside through the front and-and um, I couldn't get back in."

She remembered Naru's words. _Be careful_. Did it pertain to the situation she was just in? Or something to come? Shaking her head, she asked, "Are you taking him out for a walk?" She pointed to the small white dog.

"The doors lock automatically," the woman explained, helping the teenage girl to her feet. "And yes, I am."

Turning to the open door, ready to go back in, she freezes. Closing it, she faces Mizuki. "I think I'll walk with you," she said, forcing a smile. "Naru is just going to give me more work anyway."

"Are you sure? You could always go inside and get warm..."

"Nah, I'll be fine." Mizuki nodded hesitantly, and they began walking towards the hill. The wind began to pick up again, and in the distance Mai saw thick clouds. In the back of her mind it registered that it would storm, but due to her grogginess, her attention quickly turned elsewhere, the storm forgotten.

"So, what made you believe in ghosts?" the woman asked suddenly, turning towards Mai. The young girl tilted her head, surprised by the question.

"Well," she began, thinking she should choose her words carefully. _Something about this girl..._ she thought uneasily. _She's just not... right._ "I guess I just always _believed_, y'know? It started as telling ghost stories with friends and then due to an..._accident_ I started working for SPR. I'd never actually seen anything before I started working with them, but now I see them all the time, pretty much. I suppose it's to be expected, since it _is_ a ghost hunting business of sorts," she explained with a small laugh.

"I don't believe in them," Mizuki said quietly. Mai was surprised by this; wasn't it obvious that _something_had to be going on, involving the supernatural? "It all seems like some sham or something. I sort of got excited when I heard you guys were coming; I thought I might finally find out if spirits are real or not. It seems pretty easy to fake it on television."

"I assume that's why you've been avoiding Masako?"

"You seem to be avoiding her, but it can't be for the same reason-unless she _is _faking it?"

Mai shook her head. "No, no. Masako gets on my nerves, but she's not faking it; at least most of the time." Mai's thoughts drifted to all the times she'd acted her way into Naru's arms-_Not that he ever accepts her_, Mai thought with a smirk.

"Most of the time," Mizuki quickly pointed out, pushing a strand of dark blond hair out of her eyes. "I just don't see how it's possible."

Mai thought for a moment. "Well, it can get kind of dangerous sometimes, but if you want you can hang out at base for a while with me. If anything's picked up on the cameras or the mics then you're bound to hear it then!" The brunette grinned, knowing that Naru would probably have her head if the woman was in the way at all.

Mizuki hesitantly smiled, leaning down to scratch Ginko behind his ear. "I guess that would be fine."

Satisfied with the answer, Mai turned to glance back at the house. She swore, just for a moment, that she'd seen the swish of a curtain.

* * *

**Day 2**

The sky was dark, clouds rolling in seemingly from every direction. The water was still, lying in wait for the upcoming storm. Everything was peaceful.

Outside, that is.

"This is bull! There's absolutely no way!"

The screaming of Mizuki had woken Mai up, and she trudged across the hall to see what was going on. The older woman stood in front of one of the monitors, a look of shock and disbelief etched into her features. Displayed before her was nothing but shades of blue.

"I'm afraid it's true," Naru said coolly, not even glancing at the fretting woman. "Your room was the coldest last night. There was some definite activity in there."

"My room's always been the coldest!" Mizuki argued, her voice hitting the high notes. "This is insane! Spirits don't-_can't_-exist!"

"So you're saying that your room is usually three degrees Celsius in the dead of summer?"

Frowning, Mizuki crossed her arms. "Well, it must be the air conditioning or-or _something_." Turning around, she stormed out, brushing past Mai without so much as a glance her way. Turning slowly around from where she watched the blond woman trod off. Monk whistled lowly.

"Someone's got quite a temper," the bassist commented.

"No kidding."

* * *

_Running through the forest, she dragged something behind her. Whatever her burden was, it was wrapped in a dark brown tarp and bound several times with rope, the end of which she gripped onto as she made her journey to the center of the island. For what, she didn't know. Her limbs moved as if they were not her own, doing things against her will._

_Finally, she arrived at a broken down cabin. Panting, she brushed a strand of long black hair from her face._

_'Since when was my hair long and black?'_

_Grabbing the rope again, she headed off into a different direction she came from, about a hundred feet from the cabin. She dropped the rope, unhooking her belt and tying it to a tree. Running back, she grabbed a shovel, returning to the marked spot. _

_She dug._

_It was dark when she'd finished making a hole; about three feet wide, five feet long and at least five feet into the ground. She recalled it was noon when she began. 'Has it really been that long?' A sense of urgency struck her and, with a grunt, she kicked the burden into the pit. Grabbing the shovel, she filled it back in, stamping on the dirt every half-foot to pack it. When she was finally done, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and returned to the cabin, setting the shovel back in it's place. She returned slowly to the main house, sweat and dirt covering just about every inch of her body. When she reached the front door, she entered, making her way to the shower. Before she could get there she was stopped by a man, whose large hand rested on her shoulder. She answered the silent question with loyalty._

_"It's done."_

* * *

_Greetings, my lovely minions. :D Another chapter. I think it's a little longer than the last one. Of course, it's not long by any means. /shot_


	4. Interview

"First we'll have Kazuhiko," Naru said, gesturing towards the small boy standing in the door. The child nodded, stepping hesitantly into the room. The SPR members were seated at various spots at base, while the family members were gathered in the next room over, awaiting the time when their own stories would be told.

The boy's aunt-Tsukiko-who was also attacked, stood by his side and unwrapped the bandaged covering every inch of his arms, revealing healing wounds parallel to each other. There must have been a hundred on one arm alone, and Mai instantly felt sorry for the boy. Monk gaped and Masako's eyes showed surprise and sympathy, her mouth hidden by a blue kimono sleeve. Naru simply narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering to his aunt. "You may leave while we talk to Kazuhiko alone."

With slow steps, the woman left the room.

Naru crouched down to the boy, staring into the little boy's eyes. "Now tell me, Kazuhiko. What caused these scratches?" He gestured to the wounds covering the boy, and he only shook his head fervently. _He looks scared,_ Mai thought sympathetically.

"The ghost did," he said shakily, tears forming in the child's eyes.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

Naru bowed his head slightly, before looking up again and placing an almost gentle hand on the boy's back, encouraging him towards the door. "You may go now. Tell your Aunt to come in next."

The child opened the door, and jumped as Tsukiko was revealed, appearing to have been standing there the whole time. "Ah, Kazuhiko! Your mommy wants you, so how about you go talk to her?" The small child nodded, running off into the other room. Tsukiko seated herself at the table across from where Naru had just situated himself.

"Because he is so young, I've decided not to question Kazuhiko about his possession. However, I would like to talk to you and Miss Chie." _So Naru does have a heart, _Mai thought, giggling inwardly despite the situation.

"Ask whatever you like," she said with a smile.

"First of all, I'd like to confirm. Do you remember anything about being possessed?"

"Nothing."

"Did you feel anything unusual before being possessed?"

"Not in particular. I was reading a book and all of a sudden I blacked out, like falling asleep."

"What about after?"

"Nope. I felt a little sore afterwards from when they'd tried to hold me down, and a little disoriented… otherwise, there was nothing."

"I see." Naru stared into the woman's eyes full on. There was a still silence, before he broke it by saying, "And what about any other activity?"

"Absolutely nothing. I live in the other house with our mother, Jiro, Izumi, and Chie so I didn't feel the house shaking either."

"That will be all then. Send in Miss Chie next."

Tsukiko left the room, and a few moments later the brunette woman Chie stepped in. She was tall, with long hair to her elbows and dark blue eyes.

"I'm Chie," she said, sitting down. The woman went on to explain that like her niece and great-nephew, she remembered nothing of being possessed.

"And what of the house shaking? Were you inside this house at the time?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't," she said a bit apologetically. "However, I saw a black apparition when I was in this building one day. Scared the heck out of me. I stood still, as did it. After a few moments, it simply disappeared."

"Anything else?" Mai could tell from her boss's tone that he was getting a bit irritated.

"Nope."

"You may go then. Send in…"

* * *

Yawning, Mai reached under the chair and pulled up her sock, which had been falling down. After her dream from earlier that day, she'd woken up in a cold sweat, images of dragging whatever it was through the woods.

The rest of the family had been interviewed. Almost nothing had happened, aside from the house's tremors and the black apparition; which had also been seen by the oldest family member, Haruka and Izumi.

A creak ripped Mai from her thoughts, and she looked to the door to find Tsukiko standing at the door, her older nephew Shun clutching her hand, a tired look on the boy's face. "Your name is Mai, correct?" she asked softly, a tiny smile on her face.

"Oh, yes I am," the brunette replied, trying to sound cheerful.

She stepped into the room all the way, shutting the door behind her. She held a tray of teacups and a small teapot, sitting the tray down on the table. "Ah, yes." The woman looked down at her hands, and busied herself with pouring tea. "This is a special blend that I made myself. I think you'll enjoy it." Another cup was poured. "I assume your boss will want some as well. I've heard him ask you for tea several times... hopefully this saves you a little time."

Beaming, Mai thanked her, and the little boy came up and tugged on her sleeve.

"Onee-san?" he asked quietly, looking up into her eyes. "Would you play with me for a while?"

"Um, sure! And what's your name!"

"This is Shun, Mizuki's older son," Tsukiko answered for him, a small smile lighting her face.

"Oh, I see!" the teenager said, smiling at the little boy. "I can't leave the base, but if you want to play something in here, that'll be fine. So, what do you want to pl-"

"I'm afraid Mai won't be playing with you." Mai's head snapped up, catching sight of Naru in the door. "She has work to do, so unless you have something spirit-related you need to discuss with us, I'd appreciate it if you went somewhere else."

"Oh-I'm sorry," the woman apologized under her breath, grabbing her nephew's hand and yanking him rather forcefully to his feet. "We'll be on our way then."

They had left the room before Mai was able to say a word. The black haired teen sat himself at his makeshift desk. "Tea," he demanded.

Finding the cup she'd been given, Mai sat it on his desk, grabbing her own afterward. Pouring in a spoonful of honey and sugar, she stirred the sweet additives and sipped it, grimacing as the bitter liquid came into contact with her tongue. _Well,_ she thought weakly, staring into the cup with disgust. _Tea is tea I suppose._ Taking another sip, she glimpsed her boss from the corner of her eye doing the same.

Only a moment after, he'd spat it out noisily back into the cup.

"Mai, what is this?"

"It's uh, tea. Tsukiko made it."

"I don't pay her to make my tea," he said icily, more so than usual. "Don't let it happen again."

"Yes, Naru," Mai mumbled, going off in search of a kettle.

* * *

**/flails**

**IT'S SHORT**

**SOOOOOO SHORT**

**I'M SO SORRY :(**


	5. Phone

A little sigh escaped Mai's mouth as she lay back onto her futon. Neither Ayako or John had called to say they would be arriving; in fact no one had heard from the two since Mai had called them once they got the case. _Surely they'll be here soon,_ she thought, rolling onto her side.

"Stop being so loud. Some people are trying to sleep."

The brunette jumped, head turning quickly towards the source of the voice. Masako laid there in her kimono, sending Mai a sidelong glare. "Well excuse me for being so _loud_; at least I'm not so rude as to scare people like that!" There was a small 'Hmph!' from Masako as she rolled over to face away from Mai; almost silently, of course.

_Stupid Masako, _Mai thought angrily as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

_Blood._

_The blood was everywhere._

_On her clothes. On her arms, face. Some had splattered into her mouth, and she licked the stray drops from her lips with sick satisfaction. _

"_The second half… it's finally almost finished." Leaning down and grabbing the body, she roughly pulled it up and struggled to push the full grown man's dead weight over the balcony railing, the metal giving a small moan from the stress. She'd clean up the pool of blood later, but first she trudged down the stairs, spreading out the tarp that had already been placed near the body. She rolled the man over and began wrapping the brown sheet around him, binding the body with rope once he'd been covered._

_Again, she began dragging._

* * *

**Day 3**

"Ah!" Mai gasped as she shot up, the whiplash hurting her neck. Rubbing it gently, the brunette stood up, to collapse back onto the floor. Only then did she realize just how much she was shaking. Sitting for a moment to calm her breathing, and tried again. She could stand up at least, but she could still feel the shivers wracking her body.

Outside, droplets fell steadily from the sky in an even drizzle, only reminding Mai of her dream. Refusing to let her tongue touch her lips in fear of blood being there, the girl walked slowly to base.

"Mai," came Naru's voice from Lin's side. "Call John and Miss Matzuzaki. They should've gotten here by now."

"Well where do I find a phone?" she muttered quietly to herself, and noticed that neither Monk nor Masako were at base. Shrugging to herself, Mai went to go find someone to direct her to a phone.

Soon enough she ran into Mizuki, who was climbing the stairs. "Hello Mai," she greeted pleasantly, and Mai faintly wondered if the woman was having mood swings. _I thought she'd be annoyed that we're still here,_ she thought, smiling anyway.

"Hello MizukI! Do you mind showing me a phone?"

"Ah, yes. This way." She was led back downstairs to the foyer, where there was a small mahogany table, a classic bright red dial telephone and a couple of picture frames sitting on it.

While she picked up the receiver, Mai noticed from the corner of her eye a picture of a young woman. Picking it up in her other hand, she asked quietly, "Hey Mizuki? Who is this?"

The retreating woman turned around to see the picture in Mai's hand. Coming closer, she took a look at it and her eyes narrowed slightly. "That's Kotone, Kenta's late wife. She was really beautiful, wasn't she?" A soft smile covered her face, and Mai felt sorry for the family. _It's never easy for someone you love to die, _she thought sadly, her own parents in mind. "She was my younger cousin. A really great friend, she was."

'_Please don't_…_'_

"I'm so sorry," Mai murmured.

'_I did what you asked…_'

"It's fine," Mizuki whispered, sitting the picture back into the table.

'_No, Daddy…_'

Mizuki turned to leave, and Mai found herself reaching out to catch the back of her shirt.

'_Hush little baby, don't say a word…_'

"Something's _here_," she whispered coarsely.

'_Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird…'_

Mai noticed with a start the coldness in the air, and she pulled the older woman behind her, ready to defend them if anything were to happen, but her hands were too shaky to put in position.

She almost screamed when the camera nearby suddenly flipped over, crashing to the floor, but Mizuki beat her to it. She'd slid to the floor, hands clamped over her mouth.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan," she began as she struggled to put her hands into place. "Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan." Repeating it a third time, Mai jumped as the entity simply appeared before her, a slight whooshing sound filling her ears.

"_Leave,_" it moaned, frowning. _"Leave!"_

'_And if that mockingbird won't sing,_'

Mai began with the Nine Cuts. "Rin, Pyo, To,"

_Please. Please, please work…_

"Sha, Kai, Ji-"

"_NOW!_" Mai suddenly felt a cold hand wrap around her ankle and immediately braced herself for the fall.

It didn't come.

Instead, familiar Buddhist chants filled her ears and the cold feeling around her foot faded away along with a scream; neither Mai's nor Mizuki's. Relief washed over her as Monk hovered over her worriedly, and Mai nodded to him slowly as a confirmation that she was okay.

'_Papa will strangle it for you.'_

* * *

"So, the apparition adamantly insists we leave…" Naru's face, as always, was contorted in thought, and Mai didn't dare say a word. "Do you remember what it looked like?"

"Female," Mai told him, nodding to herself. "Her hair was really long and… and although I couldn't really be sure of the color, it looked really light."

"So we'll assume blond for now." The young man turned and began shifting through some papers, pulling out a set bound with a paperclip. Removing the metal object, Naru removed a smaller, yellowed paper from the front; a picture. He handed it to her. "Is this the woman?"

Mai nodded, the picture in her hand crumpling as she clutched it tightly.

Everyone seemed to jump as the phone in the back of the room rang loudly. Clearing his throat, Naru went to the table it was sitting on and checked the caller ID.

"It's John," he announced, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

A muddled thought somehow distinctive Kansai accent was heard from the other end, and Naru began pacing slowly back and forth across his area of the room. John's voice stopped and the teen's eyes seemed to change as he walked to the window and pulled the curtains back roughly. Through the glass, the team could see roaring waves crashing against the shore down below, the ocean before them in a state of disarray. "So you can't make it," he said quietly. "Find a hotel for now. The storm doesn't look like it'll clear up any time soon, so we might as well wait until tomorrow." They exchanged a few more hushed words before Naru took the phone from his ear and ended the call.

Mai wasn't sure she was the only one who jumped when Naoko's voice suddenly rang out through the voiceless room, "I heard your friends won't be staying with us." She offered a little smile, and Mai couldn't help but think it looked very matter-of-fact. "Such a shame that-well, never mind."

"Never mind what?" Monk asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't want to _worry_ you or anything, but…" _Why is she still smiling?_ Mai thought.

"But?"

"Well, it seems the yacht has drifted off to sea due to some poorly tied knots, and it's the only one we've got."

"You've got no other boats?"

"Afraid not, dear. Until this storm clears up, you're stuck here!"

With a cheerful smile, the woman turned and exited the room, leaving the SPR base in silence.

* * *

**Did you expect that? Hmmmm?**

**I'm going to camp for a week so no updates until at least next month. :3**


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